One Futsal Forward: Hayden Coe to join U14s Aus Team

FUTSAL: Nikki Coe could hardly imagine her son Hayden being part of an international futsal team, especially considering he only started playing this year.

14-year-old Hayden, who has recently competed in the state competition in Brisbane, is one of the 20 kids selected to represent the Under-14 Australian team at the World Futsal Competition to be held in Brazil.

Up to 4 kids from the Fraser Coast region have been selected for the team, with the competition due to begin in August next year.

Nikki said it was a shock to find out he had been selected for an international competition, given that Hayden had only started playing the sport this year.

"He's been playing soccer since he was 9, but it looks like it's his sport now," she said.

"He loves it, as it's more fast-paced than regular soccer.

"He's a great soccer player, but we didn't know how he'd go in Futsal."

Such was Hayden's success with his high school competition at the PCYC that he was selected for the Queensland Country Team to play in Brisbane, prior to being selected for the international team.

Nikki, who has supported Hayden every step of the way, said she had become a bit of a 'soccer mum.'

"I try to give him the support he needs; it was difficult to go down to Brisbane to support him early on, but we still went down to watch him play and cheer him on," she said.

"We try to go to every futsal game he plays on Monday night as well.

"I hope he goes onto a professional level; we'll keep supporting him as much as we can."

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of the trip, with plans for raffles organised.

Nikki hopes the competition will help Hayden reach his goal of becoming a professional football player, stating she was very proud of his achievements.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind, and hard to describe what exactly we're going through," she said.

"There's a mixture of pride and joy, and any adjective you can think of.

"It's always a parent's dream that their kid can achieve what they want."